The Commonwealth Games has a big lack of fans.
Australia’s netballers began their Delhi campaign at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex beating Samoa, and watched by an official attendance of 58 people. It was only that about 50 officials were also in attendance, that the numbers swelled to triple figures.
Although it is hoped that crowds will begin to warm to the event, Australian netball star Cath Cox isn’t worried.
Netball’s not that huge in India so I can’t imagine the crowd improving much, but we don’t care, If we win a gold medal in front of a man and a dog, that’s fine with me.
Australian tennis player Greg Jones won his first-round match over Bermuda’s Gavin Manders at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium with barely a dozen spectators.
Badminton, squash, hockey and the swimming heats were also sparsely populated.
It is in direct contrast to Melbourne’s Commonwealth Games four years ago when venues were sold-out, with grandstands full of enthusiastic supporters.
Curiously, the Opening Ceremony at the Jawaharlal Stadium was a full house of 60,000 supporters but those fans were nowhere to be seen on Day 1 of the action.
Stories in the main stream media about bomb threats and disease probably played a part, but it is causing real concern for the organisers. In what was seen as an opportunity to put India on the ‘map’ in terms of international sports, as well as inject much needed capital and infrastructure into the Indian economy, its looking more like a lesson in where not to have major sporting and cultural events in the future.
